Cancer and Pregnancy - Mothers Who Are Thriving Despite Having Cancer As Young Adults

Hi Ladies!

It is AYA (Adolescents and Young Adults) Cancer Awareness Week! This week brings awareness to those who currently have or who have had cancer between the ages of 15 to 39. Many people are shocked when they are diagnosed with cancer at a young age. Cancer is something many believe can happen as they grow older, not when they are still growing and developing. Women who are diagnosed young, not only fight for their lives, but they must make difficult decisions before they are thinking about having a child which may affect fertility later.

Some of the issues that AYAs face are isolation, debt, fear of death, problems with relationships, sexuality, infertility, and they often don’t receive the emotional support they need.

A friend of mine named Julia is a mother today, but when she was a young adult she developed leukemia and had to have treatment. Great news is that she beat leukemia and became a mother last year! Throughout her pregnancy journey, she felt great physically and emotionally. And in September, she had a beautiful, healthy baby girl. I was so happy for her!

Lauren is another woman who had cancer young and beat it. Lauren was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She beat it twice! But when she was 24 years old, she was told by her oncologist, when she had her relapse, that her treatment could prohibit for from having children.

World Health Day - Affordable Health For All

Hi Everyone!

Happy World Health Day! Right now, we are still going through the pandemic of the Coronavirus, but it is also World Health Day, one day a year to raise awareness/to highlight a concern of the World Health Organization (WHO). Every year World Health Day is celebrated on April 7 and this year’s theme is giving people access to healthcare without the prospect of financial hardship. The WHO asserts, following numerous studies, that “countries which invest in universal healthcare will make a sound investment in their human capital; indeed, access to a very bottom line of care and financial protection will not only truly improve someone’s health and life expectancy, but also protects countries from epidemics, reduces poverty and the risk of hunger, creates jobs, drives economic growth and enhances gender equality.” This is a very important topic and ties in with my research about childbirth around the world.

When researching for my book, I learned about birth tourism. It is a common practice for pregnant mothers to travel to foreign countries to give birth to lower the costs associated with childbirth. Sometimes it is also for citizenship, but mostly, it is to reduce healthcare costs. This tradition is especially common for pregnant women from Asia. Expectant mothers move to Canada at seven or eight months, so that they will give birth in Canada and not have to pay medical fees. After the birth, they fly back home.

How To Teach Your Children To Be Peaceful

Hi Ladies!

In my last post, I gave you some tips to return to balance. This is especially important as we are going through the Coronavirus, but of course, maintaining balance is always important. In today’s post, I want to focus on steps we can teach children to be peaceful. Our children may not understand what is going on right now, but we can teach them to find peace even if their schedules have changed, even if they are emotional, even if they cannot express their emotions as eloquently as we can.

Many people think that children are too young to learn meditation or mindfulness, but actually it is the best time. If we teach our children while they are young, they can incorporate these tools into their lives for a lifetime, have more peace, and return to balance quicker.

Today I am going to give you tools that you can teach very young children.

The first meditation was taught to me by spiritual teacher, Gabby Bernstein. She gave this example to a woman who wanted to teach her daughter to meditate.
Sit with your child and ask her (or him) to repeat the phrase: Peace begins with me. Then instruct her to tap her fingers softly starting with the thumb and forefinger as she repeats “Peace”, then her thumb and middle finger as she says “begins”, then her thumb and ring finger as she says“with”, and then her thumb and ring finger as she says “me.” Do the exercise with her, using your hand and say the words aloud for each finger.

How To Balance Yourself (During The Coronavirus)

Hi Ladies!

These are difficult times with the Coronavirus, but there are always steps we can do to empower ourselves and bring us back to balance.

One way to raise our vibes, clear our minds, release stress, and fear is to meditate.

Meditation can be easy. It can be as simple as breathing deeply. Inhaling and exhaling longer for several minutes. Or if can be listening to music, putting on headphones and simply listening to music that makes you feel relaxed. (If you can close your eyes and focus on your third eye chakra (in the center of your forehead) while you sit cross legged, breathe deeply, and listen to music, even better!)

Meditation can be as simple as watching water boil in a pan, to be fully focused on the bubbles coming to the surface, and not to be multi-tasking. Meditation does not have to long; It can be for 2 to 5 minutes or it can be for 15 to 20 minutes, if you have more time.

We should always meditate when we feel out of balance. Many people have the misconception that one has to completely clear one’s mind for it to be useful or that it requires a lot of time, but as I mentioned it can be as simply as breathing deeper, listening to music with your eyes closed, or focusing on an object and not thinking about anything else but that one object.

What Is Your Life Missing? The Feel Good Factor!

Last month I was interviewed on my first Indian Podcast, The Feel Good Factor with Susmitha Veganosaurus. I was delighted to be on her new podcast! Susmitha is a vegan chef and podcaster who loves to talk about health and wellness, female empowerment, spirituality, and healing. Her podcast, The Feel Good Factor, is all about consciously finding things that spark joy through every aspect of life. The podcast features contemplative talks, interviews and meditations, covering a wide range of topics from compassion to self-love, wellness to abundance, and so much more. Her podcast is so aligned with my values that I was ecstatic to be on her show.

This was my first interview talking about my new book, Shock and Awe: Unifying Women Around The World Through Childbirth and this new blog. On the episode, we spoke about female empowerment, the importance of supporting each other as women, my love for writing, and why I am so passionate about my book and this blog.

Listen to the interview here.

What Does It Mean To Hold Space?

If you have ever had a therapy session, you probably know the term “holding space.” I remember when I first heard the term in 2012, when I lived in San Francisco. I had to ask my friend, “What does that mean to hold space?” And she told me.

I think holding space is a term that is becoming more popular today. More and more people are using it in their conversations. Still you might not be 100% sure you understand what it means.

I believe this is a very important concept, so let’s discuss it. Holding space means that when someone is speaking, you are present; you are listening; you are engaged in the conversation without judgment or criticism; you are providing the time and space for them to express themselves completely, to be heard.

There is great power in holding space and it is very healing for the other person. But in today’s busy world, often times it is only with a therapist or a healer that this happens. Holding space requires empathy and compassion and a calm composure. When someone is truly listened to, they become empowered. They feel heard. They feel free in their expression. They can cry, laugh, show frustration or sadness. They do not feel that have to present themselves a certain way. They just need to be truthful to themselves. This is so freeing.

What Does A Holistic Perspective On Childbirth Mean?

Hi Lovely Ladies!

As I mentioned in my first blog post, this blog is based on my new book about childbirth around the world which focuses on childbirth around the world from a holistic perspective.

What does a holistic perspective mean?

Great question!

A holistic experience takes into account the mind, body, and spirit of the individual and the full story. That means that my book is not about only the act of childbirth (that one specific moment) around the world, but how childbirth affects mothers physically, as well as, emotionally, and the full story from discovering they were pregnant, to the 9 months of pregnancy, to the actual labor experience, to the postpartum period being a new mom. I am curious about the full journey!

I interviewed over 60 mothers and experts around the world about their childbirth experiences. I was interested in not only how childbirth affects mothers, but how it affects mothers holistically in different parts of the world.

Let's Create An Open Discussion on Childbirth

Hi Ladies!

Let’s have an open conversation on childbirth!

As I mentioned in my first blog post, this blog is intended to be a conversation about childbirth around the world. I will provide some research, advice and tips from the mothers and experts who I interviewed for my book about childbirth around the world, but most importantly, this blog is for you to engage with one another. I hope that new mothers will come here with their questions on preparing for childbirth and pregnancy and how to make the postpartum period smoother. I hope women around the world will share their experiences and tips too. With so many countries around the world, I am sure there will be differences and that will be a great way for us to learn from each other.

Empowering Women To Support Each Other

Welcome to my new blog! This is my third health blog and my first blog about childbirth around the world! This blog is based on the new book I am currently writing about childbirth around the world, Shock and Awe: Unifying Women Around The World Through Childbirth.

In June 2019, I was inspired to start writing my first book after talking with a friend. My book is about childbirth around the world from a holistic perspective. I started doing research and I was fascinated with what I discovered. But quickly, it became apparent that a book about childbirth around the world would be more interesting told from the perspectives of mothers instead of piecing research together. I set out on a quest to interview 50 women around the world and hear their heart-felt stories. My passion and enthusiasm grew and I decided to interview experts in the childbirth industry too, and I didn’t stop at 50 interviews but over 60, representing about 15 countries around the globe, spanning the last seventy-five years, from all ages and points of view from home births, birthing centers, and hospital births, to natural and medicated births, short and long births, and women of all backgrounds.